CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
I walked along the dock looking for the Isabella and listening for sounds of life on the boats. I heard nothing until I rounded the corner and saw the Isabella sitting in the slip with the cabin door open. It looked like someone had been prepping her for a trip, and I was sure I knew who that someone was.
“Ri? You here?” I called out. I knew it was risky approaching like this, but I decided that it was better than sneaking up on her. Six of one, half dozen of another. “Ri, you out here?”
I stood still as I waited to see if she would emerge from the cabin or not. I patted the holster I’d put on before leaving the club and reassured myself that I had protection just in case I needed it. I didn’t usually carry a gun, since being arrested with one would present some problems given the fact that I didn’t have a license to carry one. Mostly, I’d just relied on Riza to do the dirty work of gun carrying.
A few minutes after I’d called her name, Riza emerged with her arm around Brooke. She was holding a pistol to Brooke’s head and had an arm around her waist as she moved them both forward.
“Dax?” Brooke called. Even at this distance, I could see the terror in her eyes as she moved with Riza across the back end of the boat.
“Yeah, I’m here. Ri, what the hell are you doing?” I hollered.
“Taking control of my damn life,” she yelled back. “That’s what I’m doing.”
“This doesn’t seem like much control to me,” I observed. “Why don’t you let her go and we’ll talk about this?”
“Hell no, what kind of fool do you take me for?” Riza laughed. “I’m not an idiot, you know.”
“No one ever said you were, Ri,” I said. “But you need to tell me what the hell is going on.”
“I’m sick of all your shit, Dax,” she said as she pushed Brooke to the back of the boat and looked out over the water. “I’m sick of all the women, the drugs, the club. I’m sick of babysitting and strong arming and basically fighting all your battles so that you can sit up in your little safe room and rule the universe.”
“How in the hell am I ruling the universe?” I shot back. “I’m taking the heat for every fucking thing that happens. It’s my job to keep everyone on track and away from wars! Don’t you think I’m sick of it, too?”
“But you have all the glory, Dax,” she said. “You are regarded as the high and mighty heir to Papi D’Oro’s throne, and everyone fears and respects you. You’re the shit, my friend.”
“How do you figure? Everyone fucking hates me!” I yelled. “I make decisions that piss everyone off and you get to move around freely, going places and doing things however you like. Meanwhile, I’m confined to the six blocks around my club and apartment! I can’t venture out into other areas, because if I do, it starts a war!”
“Bullshit, you stay put because it’s easy and because you’re the king of the hill when you stay in your six block radius,” she yelled. I could tell she was getting really agitated and knew that if she got really worked up, she just might pull the trigger.
“Why are you holding Brooke?” I asked. “What did she ever do to you?”
“Not to me, Dax,” she said. “I’m sick of these women who use you up and then dump your ass. It’s hard to watch it happen.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked. “Can I please come closer so we don’t have to shout at each other?”
“Ten steps closer, but don’t fucking try anything or I’ll shoot your little girlfriend,” she warned.
“Ten steps, got it,” I said as I took exactly ten steps and came close enough to see that Riza was holding a nine-millimeter pistol to Brooke’s head. That was the weapon that had killed Lydia – suddenly, I had a sick feeling in my stomach, but I needed to know the truth. “What about the women?”
“You always fall for the white girls,” she said. “You choose these snooty women with big degrees and lots of money, and then you use the ones who aren’t respectable enough to be seen in public with.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I said angrily. I knew exactly what she was talking about but I didn’t want her talking about it in front of Brooke.
“Diamond? Or don’t you remember?” she said. “C’mon, you know how you hit it and quit it with the dancers. Don’t be a liar, Dax.”
“I know, I know,” I said. “But that was something we agreed about! They didn’t want anything more than what we had going on! I didn’t deny anyone anything!”
“Yeah, right,” she said rolling her eyes and looking at me. “You blow off anyone who doesn’t fit your idea of who Mr. Hotshot should be dating.”
I knew right then that I had to turn the conversation around or she was going to end up shooting all of us.
“Riza, why are you doing this? What do you want? Tell me and I’ll give it to you,” I said.
“What do I want? What do I want?” she cried. “How come no one ever asked me that question before? What do I want? I want my life back! I want my Papi back! I want my family back!”
“Riza, I can’t bring Papi back,” I said gently.
“Don’t you think I fucking know that, asshole?” she shot back. “I’m saying what I want are things that I can’t have! So, now I’m aiming for things I can have.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Revenge, mother fucker, revenge,” she said as she tightened her grip on Brooke, causing her to gasp as Riza pushed the muzzle of the gun to her head and looked at me. “Maybe if you start losing all the things you love, you’ll begin to appreciate those people who do shit for you every damn day!”
“RIZA, NO!” I yelled as I launched myself onto the boat from the dock. I heard the gun go off as I flew through the air and landed on top of Riza. We wrestled like vicious wolves as we fought for control of the gun. I grabbed her hand and tried to wrench the gun out of it, but she had a tight grip and used it to whip me in the head. The blow made me see stars, but I didn’t let go as I fought her for control of the weapon.
Riza was swearing and raging as we fought, but I could feel myself getting calmer and more relaxed. It was a strange sensation to be so angry that I felt like I was melting away into nothing, and then the world went black.